Winter is Here! It’s time for Skincare!
As the colder months approach us, it’s important to take care of…
Botanical Treasure Discovered at Lehman College
Women in ScienceCollectorsSpecimen Stories
In the basement of Lehman College’s Science Hall, in a dumpster waiting…
For the duration: The safekeeping of American herbaria…
The bombing of the military complex at Pearl Harbor, on December 7,…
Roses are Red, Sometimes Green, but Always the…
Roses are one of the world’s most beloved blooms, with millions of…
Honoring the Quechua Language
What's in a name?Specimen Stories
Quechua is a family of indigenous languages spoken by the Quechua peoples of…
The Nourishing Power of Dates
As the Islamic month of fasting – Ramadan – comes to a…
Date Syrup Jallab
There are many recipes featuring dates and their byproducts across many cultures,…
Ethnobotanical Uses of Dates
Although eating the fruit may be the most well-known use of the…
A Vanilla Voyage: Exploring the Spice's Legacy in…
Vanilla planifolia, commonly known as vanilla, is one of the most instantly…
Ancestral Achiote
In many Caribbean and Latin American households, most of us have known…
Eggplant
The eggplant, also known as aubergine (Solanum melongena), has no official date…
Sweetsop vs. Soursop: A Great Distinction
The Annonaceae family is the largest plant family within the Magnoliales. The…
Queer Love Lives in Hyacinth
The flowering period of hyacinth may have passed, but their celebration continues…
Bean-boozled
Cosmopolitan has a long-standing journalistic reputation for getting straight to the heart…
Fruits of Rosaceae
Flowering plants differ from all other plants by producing seeds within fruits;…
Biocrusts of Cold Drylands
The default image that comes to mind when thinking of deserts is…
Biocrusts in Disturbed Areas
Our crusty companions play many imperative restoration roles in disturbed habitats, as…
Biocrusts of Hot Drylands
Hot deserts are found on all continents except Antarctica and Europe. In…
Chicita Culberson
In early March of this year Chicita Culberson, whose work has been…
Cyanolichens
In this collection are some cyanolichens from the NYBG cryptogamic herbarium, some…
The Ames–Britton Connection
Specimen StoriesWomen in Science
Blanche Ames Ames (February 18, 1878 – March 2, 1969) was not…
Black Pepper: King of Spices
It’s hard to imagine entering a diner, sitting down on the shiny…
Vanda
Vanda is a tropcial Asian and Australian orchid genus with 85 known…
Phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis, the moth orchids, are perhaps the most commonly cultivated orchid. With…
Miltonia
Miltonia consists of 20 naturally occuring species and hybrids that are entirely…
Paphiopedilum
Paphiopedilum is genus of slipper orchid found in tropical Asia, from eastern…
Cattleya
Cattleya is a genus of 129 tropcial American orchids distributed from Costa…
Dendrobium
With over 1,800 know species, Dendrobium is one of the 10 most…
Orchids in your Home!
Orchids are the largest plant family, with over 28,000 known species, and…
Remembrances of Yours
There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.Pray you, love, remember. And there is pansies,that’s…
Be All My Sins Remembered
Up until this point, Ophelia has lived a rather charmed life –…
Ophelia’s Flowers
Shakespeare never visited the crown prince Hamlet’s home on the east coast of…
Ginger and Chiya
Ginger, also known as Zingiber officinale is native to tropical climates like…
Aloe: The Plant of Many Wonders
Aloe vera is one of the over 300 species of Aloe belonging…
Sugar Cane and the Tropical Traces of Empires
Take a moment and think about how easy is to get sweet…
Curious Indigo
Indigo: a profound shade of blue sourced from nature’s color palette; A…
Riclef Grolle
Riclef Grolle (1934 – 2004) was among the most dedicated and knowledgeable…
Season it with Leaves
Culinary herbs are plants with aromatic properties and that are used for…
Okra’s journey to the United States
Many culinary delights that Americans enjoy today, especially in the Southern United…
Vampires Among Us: The Ghost Pipe Plant
Did you know that some plants lack chlorophyll? Often confused for a…
Fire Island: Preserving a Unique Ecological & Cultural…
On a geological time scale, barrier islands are by definition impermanent, ever-changing,…
Meet Spiranthes bightensis: A New Orchid in Our…
Focus on ScienceSpecimen Stories
Botanists have probably described and named 99% of the plants native to…
Rooted in Plants: An Interview with Arvolyn Hill
Arvolyn Hill is the Family Programs Coordinator at the Everett Children’s Adventure…
Reindeer Lichens
In this most wonderful time of the year, Christmas is naturally on…
Conifers and Mistletoes
Evergreen trees and mistletoe both come to mind when we decorate with holiday…
Flora Borinqueña
In February 1906, Nathaniel and Elizabeth Britton, founders of The New York…
Extraordinary Oak Leaves
Cabinet of CuriositiesSpecimen Stories
Oak trees are a familiar sight to people all around the world,…
The Three Sisters
Companion planting is the technique of growing plants closely together for mutual…
The Sacred Plant of Peru: The San Pedro…
For thousands of years, the indigenous people of Peruvian Amazon have used…
Traditional Medicine: Momordica charantia
Momordica charantia L. is a plant species that is used in the…
Greetings from Camp
Even if you have never attended a sleepaway summer camp, chances are you've gotten a…
A World of Tulips
Tulip bulbs that have been tucked safely underground all winter are springing…
The Tecate Cypress: What a Tangled Web
While working as a digitization intern, one of the most pleasing features…
Pollination after dark
Although sometimes overlooked, bats are vital pollinators for many economically important species…
Garden Vegetables
If you're planting your own garden this spring what will you choose to grow?…
Picnic in Central Park
Since its completion in 1876, Central Park has been a favorite destination…
Snap shot of the Rock Garden, circa 1942
NYBG's Rock Garden in the spring is full of treasures that have been documented…
Dancing Lady Orchids Take Center Stage
Dancing Lady Orchid is the collective common name for the orchid genus…
Orchids of New York: Fairy Slippers and Dragon…
Although most orchids are found in the tropical mountain systems of the…
Black Botany: The Nature of Black Experience
Black Botany: The Nature of Black Experience seeks to acknowledge the complex…
The Saguaro Cactus: Emblematic Plant of the American…
Specimen StoriesWhat's in a name?
With its tall, columnar shape and upward-bending branches, the cactus we know…
Love Potions & Charms
Love potions and charms are mentioned countless times throughout literature; from ancient…
Surviving the Fires of Australia
Amid the tragedy of the Australian fires, the Wollemi Pine is a…
Ascension Island: Volcanoes, Castaways, and Darwin’s Manmade Forest
One million years ago, a volcano broke the surface in the middle…
Confetti
No party is complete without confetti—especially when ringing in the new year.…
Eight Days of Oil
Oil has a special significance for those who celebrate Hanukkah. This Jewish…
Yuletide Greetings
European winter traditions that predate Christianity have a large focus on plants.…
Christmas Tree Species
Though most Christmas trees are in the pine family, Pinaceae, they are…